Drimnagh 5, Spartak 1
Spartak took an injury hit squad to Brickfields and were on the receiving end of a hiding, a great deal of it self inflicted.
Regulars missing, all injured, included Niall Hanratty, Martin Costello, Shane McInerney, Mick Costello, Mick Greene and Dave O’Kelly. So the side was something of a scratch X1, given the number of changes required.
Nonetheless, there is little excuse for such a tepid performance.
Two first half goals from corners, with unmarked efforts from the same player going past guardians at each post, gave Drimnagh an advantage at the interval. Sandwiched between these was Spartak’s goal, a Stu Love header from Dave Browne’s long throw.
Drimnagh, whose reputation for poor behaviour precedes them, were well controlled by a good ref. Spartak on the other hand failed to show sufficient desire to make a real go of it. Drimnagh did not have to overly exert themselves to gain superiority.
Dillon Burke and Dave Browne both struggled for pace against speedy wingers, with Browne partly compensating with some good recovery tackles. Cathal Clancy’s exuberance was curbed by an early booking, and Fintan Grace was left to do an awful lot of defensive tidy up work.
In truth the midfield and attack never got going, nothwithstanding Stuart Love’s appetite for work, with Dermot Dooley also trying to plug gaps. Thom O’Driscoll had an off night, with passing awry, and Niall Lennon could not make any headway. Chris Hogan was off the pace from the start , while Derek McGoldrick had to revert to full back as Burke struggled.
Jason Northey left the fray with an injury early in the second half, having made a few decent stops, but beaten from long range by one effort. Ross Kelly deputised capably.
A renewed effort will be required to compete with Tymon on Saturday.
Form Report
Jason Northey 6 Dave Browne 5 Dillon Burke 4 Fintan Grace 6 Cathal Clancy 5 Stuart Love 6 Dermot Dooley 5 Chris Hogan 4 Derek McGoldrick 5 Niall Lennon 4 Thom O’Driscoll 4.
Subs : Steve Walsh 5 Ross Kelly 6 Jose Vargas 4 Mick Costello Kevin Mannion Shane McInerney
